Following The World's Strongest
by Max Wolfwing
Summary: The Straw Hats have a Pirate Trainee! Tatsuo's a kid who joins Luffy and Zoro, intending to learn swordsmanship from the former bounty hunter. Determined to get stronger and protect someone, the squirt helps the two start out the pirate crew. But Tatsuo's past is dark, and more common that you'd think, plus there's one tiny fact he's hiding from his crewmates-he's really a girl!
1. Romance Dawn Part 1

**So this is my newest fic to go with my newest obsession, One Piece! Do enjoy and let me know what you think! Reviews (especially with constructive criticism) is appreciated!**

* * *

It had been just another normal day for the Straw Hat Pirates when they found the youngest member of their crew.

For the two of them, anyway. Roronoa Zoro had just joined Luffy's "crew," and had found that the combination of his abuse from that stupid lieutenant's son and his new captain's crazy antics tired him out quickly. He had just settled down for a good, long nap and was about to fall asleep when Luffy cried, "Zoro, look!"

Zoro groaned and cracked open an eye, knowing the energetic Devil's Fruit eater wouldn't let him rest until he looked. "What?" he asked irritably.

"There's a kid out there!" Luffy said, pointing.

"So?"

"He's not moving…"

"What?!" Zoro shot up and looked in the direction Luffy was pointing. Sure enough, there was a kid floating about fifty yards out from their boat. "What the hell are you telling me for? Go get him!"

"Alright!" Luffy said. He prepared himself to jump overboard.

Zoro smacked his forehead. He almost forgot: Luffy was a total hammer! "Wait!" he said, pulling his captain back. "You can't swim!" Luffy pouted. Zoro hurriedly came up with something the rubber boy could do. "But you can stretch your arms out and grab him, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Luffy's face immediately brightened. "Hold on kid, Luffy's here to save you!"

The rubber boy stretched his arms out and hooked his hands under the kid's shoulders. He started to drag the kid to the boat, his arms picking up speed.

"Uh-oh," Luffy said. "They're coming in too fast!"

"Too fast? They're your arms!" Zoro exclaimed. "Slow them down!"

"I can't!" Luffy said. "Catch him! Quick!"

Cursing and shedding his haramaki and swords, Zoro jumped into the water, wincing as the salt made his wounds sting. He adjusted himself so the kid was headed straight for him, instead of the boat.

The kid rocketed into his chest with enough force to push him back and make him hit his head against the side of the boat. Dazed, he had the presence of mind to wrap one arm around the kid's thin body and continue to kick his legs to keep their heads above the water.

"Oops," Luffy said, his head reappearing over the side of the boat. The force of his arms and Zoro's head hitting the boat had made him loose his balance and grip and fall backwards. He reached down and grabbed Zoro, hauling the swordsman and child into the boat, somehow succeeding in not getting himself wet. "Sorry, Zoro."

Zoro grunted and rolled the kid off his chest. He sat up, shaking the salt water out of his green hair. He took a good look at the kid he and Luffy had just saved.

The kid resembled a drowned rat more than a human. The clothes were at least a size or two too big and completely soaked through, leaving a puddle in the bottom of the boat. The kid's short dark hair (it was too wet for him to discern any color from it) was just as wet and clinging to his forehead. At least, Zoro thought it was a boy. He wasn't sure.

It took Zoro a second to realize the kid wasn't breathing. Swearing some more, he hauled the kid up and leaned him over the side of the boat. He raised a hand and brought it down hard on the kid's back.

"What are you doing?" Luffy exclaimed.

"Trying to get him to breath!" Zoro snapped, bringing his hand down again. A third time succeeded in the kid twitching his head and coughing up an impressive amount of water from his small body. The kid had enough time to open his eyes and gasp again before he puked more water, this time through his nose as well as his mouth. Zoro sighed in relief.

A sudden breeze picked up and Zoro shivered. He looked down at his wet clothing, which was still dripping on the boat. He sighed and turned to get a new set of clothes from his bag. At least he wouldn't have to take a bath this week.

"Hey kid," he said, yanking an extra shirt out of his bag. He turned to see Luffy comforting the now shivering kid. "Here. Take off your wet clothes and put this on. It should cover you and it'll help warm you up."

The kid reached out a trembling hand and took the proffered shirt. His eyes darted from Luffy to Zoro.

Sensing what he wanted, Zoro said, "Hey Luffy, turn around."

"Huh?" his moronic captain asked.

Zoro gritted his teeth and growled, "Turn around so we can change, idiot."

"Oh!" Luffy immediately let go of the kid and turned so his back was to them.

Grunting in satisfaction, Zoro turned around and started to strip his wet clothes off. He paused at his underwear, though. Should he or shouldn't he take it off? It wasn't his only pair, but he didn't want the kid turning around and seeing his bare ass, among other things kids shouldn't see.

Zoro decided to risk it. He'd be uncomfortable and would probably chafe if he didn't, so off went the old and on with the new, quickly followed by his pants, shirt, and haramaki with his swords.

He turned to see that the kid and Luffy still had their backs to him. The kid was finishing pulling the shirt down to his knees and Luffy was humming some sort of tune. Zoro grunted to get them to turn back around. Luffy reacted immediately, all smiles. The kid turned slowly, as if afraid that Zoro or Luffy was going to hit him.

Luffy frowned. "Hey Zoro, your shirt's too big on him."

Zoro blinked and saw what Luffy had said was right. The shirt was barely hanging onto the kid's thin shoulders and the rest billowed around his skinny frame like a dress. Zoro took one of his swords (noting out of the corner of his eye how the kid flinched back and didn't relax until the sword was back in its sheath) and cut about two feet of rope off of the extra they had stored off to the side.

"Here," Zoro said. "Use it as a belt until you can get some real clothes your size."

The kid hesitated for a long minute before slowly tying the rope around his waist tightly. Zoro frowned. The rope was too long; a foot and a half would've been plenty, and two feet seemed like more than enough. Hell, the ends of the "belt" almost dangled past the kid's knees. Zoro shrugged to himself. Too late now.

Zoro noticed the strange color of the kid's eyes—a yellow so dark it was like gold, with the faintest grayish silver ring around the pupil. It unnerved him a little. They were like bird's eyes, a bird of prey, the name of which escaped him at the moment. They seemed to be calculating everything the kid looked at—the boat, his swords, even Zoro himself. The kid seemed to be taking in everything without hardly looking anywhere.

Zoro frowned. Something was niggling the back of his mind, something about his ambition to become the world's greatest swordsman. If he could just remember the name of the bird the kid's eyes reminded him of…he decided to shrug it off for now.

"What's your name, kid?" Zoro asked, sitting down and leaning back against the side of the boat. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the kid.

The kid hesitated. "Tatsuo," he said in a rather high voice. Zoro raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. The kid must not have hit puberty yet, or the salt water was affecting his throat.

"Wow! What a strong name!" Luffy cried, smiling broadly at the kid. "It means 'dragon man,' right?"

"Y-Yes," Tatsuo said timidly.

"Do you have any food? Or can you navigate a ship?" Luffy asked, leaning close.

"W-What? Food?" Tatsuo reeled back, obviously not used to such close contact. "N-No! I don't have any food. And I don't know how to navigate."

"Darn," Luffy said, leaning back. He scratched his head. "Guess we'll just drop you off in the next port, then."

"Hold on, Luffy!" Zoro said, sitting up. "We save the kid, then just drop him off as soon as we hit land? That's crazy!" Zoro didn't like going against his captain, but in this instance, he had to disagree.

"But Zoro," Luffy whined, "we don't need him. He can't navigate and doesn't have any food, so why do we need him? We can just drop him off at the next port and help him find a place to stay."

The kid suddenly wailed and threw himself at Zoro's feet, latching onto his leg and making Zoro jump. "Please!" Tatsuo howled. "Don't put me on land! I can't go back!"

"Hey!" Zoro snapped, trying to shake the kid off. "Why are you asking me? I'm not the captain!"

"Please!" Tatsuo whimpered. "I made a promise! I can't go back on land just yet!"

Zoro and Luffy both froze. "Promise? What promise?" Luffy asked.

Tatsuo removed his now-teary face from Zoro's pant leg and mumbled, "I made a promise…to a friend…that I wouldn't go back until I was strong enough to protect her. I have to become strong so she doesn't get hurt anymore! I wanna be a pirate! Pirates are strong!"

"Well…maybe we can figure out a position in our crew for you," Luffy said. "I mean, Zoro and I here are both pretty strong, and we're pirates. You can learn from us!"

"R-Really?" Tatsuo asked, looking at Luffy in awe.

"Sure!" Luffy said, grinning. "Now we just gotta put you in a position for our crew! Hey Zoro, got any ideas?"

Zoro thought for a second. "Doctor?"

Tatsuo shook his head. "I dunno about medicine," he said.

"How about…navigator?" Luffy suggested.

"You already asked me that!"

"Ok…how about musician?"

"I can't sing, or play any instrument, if that's what you mean."

"What about cook?"

"Nope."

"…Cabin boy?"

"What's a cabin boy?"

"Pirate trainee," Zoro suddenly broke in.

"Pirate trainee?" Luffy and Tatsuo echoed.

"They're like cabin boys, only they don't have to do as much cleaning and they're younger, probably around your age, kid," Zoro explained. "Mostly they learn from the crew how to be a pirate from the crew or a specific pirate. They're pretty common on pirate ships."

"Oh yeah, I remember what that is now! I tried to be the pirate trainee on Shanks's ship," Luffy said. He turned to the kid. "Hey Tatsuo, wanna be a pirate trainee?"

"O-Ok," the kid said. "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing right now, really," Luffy said. "We're just sailing to the next port right now, until we can find a navigator and some food."

"And booze," Zoro added.

Luffy frowned. "Wait…if Tatsuo's our pirate trainee, doesn't that mean he needs a sea dad? To learn stuff from?"

Zoro already saw where this was going. "Oh, hell no," he said, glowering at his captain.

"But the captain can't be a sea dad," Luffy tried to encourage. "He's gotta run the ship. Shanks told me so."

"My answer is still no," Zoro said, crossing his arms. "No way in hell am I gonna be the kid's sea dad."

"Zoro, do you see any other people around who can be his sea dad?" Luffy asked, gesturing. "You're the only one!"

"Why can't we wait until somebody else joins?" Zoro grumbled, already knowing he was in a losing battle.

"Tatsuo, you said you wanted to be strong to protect someone, yeah?" Luffy asked the kid, changing tactics. Tatsuo nodded. "Then how about you have the guy who's gonna be the world's greatest swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, as your sea dad?"

Zoro thought the kid's eyes were going to pop out of his head. "The pirate hunter Zoro?" he squeaked, staring at Zoro.

Zoro sighed. "Yeah, that's me. Only I'm not a pirate hunter anymore. I'm just a pirate."

The kid's mouth was hanging open. Zoro half expected a fly to buzz in for a visit.

"C-Can you teach me how to use a sword?" Tatsuo asked.

Ok, not the question he was expecting. "Uh…sure?" Zoro said. "I guess I could teach you…"

"Then it's settled!" Luffy declared. "Tatsuo, meet your new sea dad and mentor, Roronoa Zoro!"

"Uh…it's an honor to be your student, Rono…Rolona…err, Rololora—" Tatsuo stumbled.

Zoro sighed. "Just call me Zoro, kid," he said. "Since you can't pronounce Roronoa."

"Or you could call him Ruwa!" Luffy suggested happily. "He's your sea dad, after all."

"Watch it, Luffy," Zoro growled. "I never officially agreed to it."

"Well then, I'm ordering you to be his sea dad!" Luffy said, making Zoro's jaw drop.

"You—You can't just order me to do that!" he sputtered.

"Sure I can," Luffy said, as if the matter was settled. He started to pick his nose. "I'm the captain. You and Tatsuo have to listen to me. So you're his sea dad and he's your student." He withdrew his finger from his nose and pointed at them as he said their new roles.

Zoro ground his teeth together in frustration. "Fine," he spat. "We're still going to need to hit a port somewhere, though. We need food."

"Right," Luffy said. "Hey Tatsuo, where's the nearest port, do you know?"

"Um," Tatsuo said, biting his lip. "I don't. I…I fell off a ship that was headed somewhere. I don't know where they went."

Zoro looked at him. "You were on a ship and didn't know where it was going?"

"I—I was a stowaway," Tatsuo mumbled. "I just…had to get out of the town I was in. It was the last ship in the port, so I jumped on and hid. I didn't know it was a marine ship until afterwards. I…fell off."

"You mean you were thrown off," Zoro corrected. Tatsuo's head shot up, eyes wide. "Don't try to deny it. The marine's don't care for stowaways, even if it's just some scrawny kid. You're lucky we found you, or you might've died. You were really close to drowning already."

"Y-Yeah," the kid said, looking down at his hands. "Thanks for that, I guess."

Zoro grunted and looked up. It was starting to get dark. He yawned. "Time to hit the hay," he said, adjusting himself so he was comfortable. He looked over at his captain, who was already asleep. Zoro rolled his eyes. "I suggest you get some sleep too, kid."

"Uh…Zoro?" the kid asked. "You're not…you're not gonna drop me off in the next port like that guy was saying, right?" Tatsuo gave him a pleading look.

"No," Zoro said. "Just get some sleep. You're training will start tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok," the kid said, curling up across from Zoro. "Hey Zoro?"

"What, kid?"

"…Can I call you Ruwa? Like Luffy was saying?"

Zoro grunted. "Fine by me, squirt," he said. "Now go to sleep."

"Ok…Ruwa." The kid closed his eyes and was soon asleep, Zoro right behind him.

* * *

I was running again.

My lungs were burning, my legs and arms sluggish in response to what I wanted them to do. It was like I was running through honey, but the people who were chasing me were unaffected by it. All of them were calling my name: "Riko, Riiiiiiiiikkkkoooooooooo…"

"Leave me alone!" I wailed between gasps, trying to run faster.

Suddenly I was in a dojo. The master was glaring at me and he raised a bokken. "Get out of my dojo," he snarled, swinging the practice sword—which turned into a real sword the moment it hit my side. The other kids were on the sides, laughing at me and pointing. "Women, especially girls, can't become swordsmen!"

I cried out as the hard metal lashed my ribs and sent me flying to the floor. My hands became bound by ropes and a gag wrapped around my mouth as one of the marines from the ship I'd snuck on laughed. "Stupid girl," he said, kicking my ribs where the master had hit me. "You can't mess with the marines. Now give me that money you stole from me and get the hell off this ship. Kids don't belong here, especially fragile little girls like you." Another hard kick to my chest sent me flying into a corner, gag and binds gone.

My father loomed over me, laughing as I tried to scramble backwards and only succeeded in banging my head against the wall. He cackled some more and pressed a hand against my mouth to muffle my whimpers. "You can't run from me, you little bitch," he snarled, pulling a knife out and running the sharp edge softly along my cheek. I closed the eye closest to the knife and whimpered. "I'll always find you. You'll never escape from me or this knife." He brought the knife down to my ribs directly in front of my heart and stabbed.

* * *

I jerked upright, screaming into a large, rough hand. It took my nightmare-panicked mind a second to realize it wasn't mine and I reached up and clawed at it with my fingernails, kicking out with my feet to hit the person who was holding me. There was a low grunt as my heel connected with something, but the hand didn't let my mouth go. Squealing in protest and fear, I jerked my head side to side to try to rid my mouth of the hand.

Another hand clasped my shoulder and shook me. "Tatsuo!" a low voice hissed. "Dammit kid! Wake up!"

_Tatsuo? Tatsuo's here? Where? Why isn't he helping me?_ I grunted and succeeded in rearing my head back far enough to get my teeth on the hand and bite hard.

"Ow!" The hand was yanked roughly out of my mouth and my teeth almost went with it. "What the hell was that for, squirt?"

Gasping from the workout I'd given my lungs, I realized I'd just bitten Zoro, my new mentor. He was easily six times bigger than me, or more, and was probably mad at what I did. There was no doubt in my mind I was about to pay for what I'd done. I scrabbled back to the edge of the boat, waiting for the punishment blow to come. My breath was ragged and I was trembling, the adrenaline running through me making it worse.

"Hey, Tatsuo," Zoro said in a low, soft voice. I curled up tighter. I'd been tricked like that before. No way was I gonna fall for it again.

A hand rested on my shoulder and I instinctively flinched. The hand was removed and I heard Zoro sigh. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you, ok?" I turned, giving him a wary look. Well, as wary a look as I could manage in the low moonlight. "On my honor as a swordsman."

Slowly, I turned and sat up, still ready to duck or run at a moment's notice. That or just jump overboard. This boat was small; kinda hard to run unless I jumped into the sea.

Zoro studied me for a minute before backing up. I relaxed, but only slightly. One fast

move and he could still reach me, and then I'd get the beating I was preparing for. "You ok?" he asked. "Wanna talk about it or something?"

I blinked. I wasn't expecting that. I shook my head. "No," I mumbled, looking down at my hands, though I kept one eye on him. "It's nothing."

Zoro crossed his arms and snorted. "It was obviously something, from the way you were thrashing and screaming in your sleep. You gave my ribs a good kick and I'm surprised you didn't wake Luffy up too. You've got quite the pair of lungs on you."

I winced and looked back at my lap. "It's really nothing," I said weakly.

I felt Zoro's gaze on me for a long minute. "Who's Riko?" he asked suddenly.

My head shot up. I had said my real name in my sleep? Oh shit! "She's…uh…"

"Is she the one you made your promise to?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," I said, inwardly relieved. I'd forgotten about my "promise." "She's…a really good friend. I miss her…a lot."

Silence settled over the small boat, except for the other guy's—what was his name, Luffy?—snoring and mine and Zoro's breathing. I stayed very still, my eyes locked on my lap. I hoped that the longer I stayed still and quiet, the sooner he'd forget about the bite and wouldn't hurt me. Just because he'd given his word didn't mean he wouldn't.

Suddenly a yawn escaped me and I took advantage of it. "Just…I wanna go back to sleep. Please?"

Zoro watched me for another long minute. "Alright," he said finally. I suppressed a sigh of relief and turned to go to sleep. "But you will tell me what's wrong later, alright?"

I hesitated. "Um…"

"It doesn't have to be tomorrow," he said, settling back down. "I don't care when you tell me. But if you want me to train you, I've got to know what bothers you. So you've got to tell me at some point."

I was silent for a moment, thinking. Zoro must've taken that as a hesitation, because he said, "I'll still train you, you know. It's just that knowing what bothers you makes it easier on me, as the teacher, and you, as the student. How about this? You tell me about your nightmares, and I'll tell you about my past and the promise I made. Deal?"

I bit my lip, thinking over what I had to lose. Nothing serious came to mind, other than I might lose my teacher. But, maybe by the time he learned I was a girl, I would know enough I could go back and fulfill my promise.

"Deal," I said.

Satisfied, Zoro leaned back and closed his eyes. Soon his breathing was deep and even, but I still waited until I was absolutely sure he was asleep to relax so I could get some sleep too.

I reached inside my shirt and fingered the silver necklace that rested against my chest. I ran my fingertips down the small, thick cross that hung on the chain until they reached two intricately inscribed letters, the only letters I knew: _DM_.

_Tatsuo,_ I thought, running my thumb over the letters again and again. _I'm sorry. Sorry I have to use your name. I miss you. I wish you could come back and that I didn't have to run away all the time and that it was just you and me and Mom together and we were living by the sea like you always wanted because you wanted to be a Marine and a doctor and…and…_

A tear slipped from my right eye and hit the bottom of the boat. Angry at myself, I dug the heel of my palm into my eye to prevent further tears. I dropped the pendant and concentrated on getting some sleep.


	2. Rules of the Street (Outcast)

I woke up the next morning just before dawn. Luffy and Zoro were still asleep and there was a faint orange line on the eastern horizon.

Suddenly I realized how badly I needed to pee. Biting my lip, I looked around. Luffy was snoring loudly, oblivious to the world. Zoro was snoring too, just not as loudly. Neither one seemed like they were going to wake up for a while.

I looked over the side of the boat. Nothing but ocean.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves and hoping the other two wouldn't wake up, I hoisted Zoro's shirt up and leaned my rear over the side and let it rip. I sighed in relief as the pressure on my bladder got smaller and smaller.

Suddenly the boat was hit by a rough wave on the side and rocked back and forth violently. My perch on the side of the boat was already precarious, so when the wave hit my feet slipped. My hands, once preoccupied with holding the shirt up, shot out to grab the side of the boat, but I missed. With a yelp and a rather small splash I was thrown overboard and shoved below the surface of the waves.

Water rushed into my open mouth and the saltiness of the sea stung my eyes. Choking on water, I tried to claw my way to the surface. If I squinted, I could make out the bottom of the boat. I kicked for it, legs pumping hard and my hands outstretched for it.

My head broke the surface and I was allowed one gasp for air before hands grabbed and hauled me out of the water and set me in the boat. I coughed and rubbed the water out of my eyes.

"Damn it, twice in two days! You got a death wish or something, squirt?" a voice asked. I looked up to see Zoro crouching over me, my clothes in one hand.

"S-Sorry," I apologized between coughs.

Zoro shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "How'd you fall in, anyway?"

I decided to be as honest as I could get. "Was trying to take a leak," I said. "Bad wave rocked the boat and threw me over." Zoro grunted and reached for me.

"H-Hey!" I yelped, backing up. My voice cracked and I doubled over in another coughing fit.

"Hold still," Zoro grunted and undid the rope from around my waist. He threw it to the side and yanked his shirt over my head so I was stark naked. I squeaked and reached to cover myself before he had a chance to see I was a girl, but my clothes beat me to it.

Shocked, I looked up to see Zoro's back. "Hurry up and change," he said. "I won't look."

I bit my lip but hurried to change. I relaxed a little more once I was back in my own clothes, a ratty black T-shirt with dark pants that had been ripped off mid-calf. My clothes were loose, good for movement, but I needed a belt for my pants, or they'd fall down. I snatched up the rope I'd been using and quickly tied it around my waist.

"Done," I said, adjusting the knot in the rope. Zoro turned back around and gave me a once-over.

"Good enough for now, he said, nodding. "We'll have to get you some real clothes soon, though. Those rags won't last much longer, and you can't go around wearing my shirts forever."

I blushed and ducked my head, fidgeting. I bit my bottom lip to keep from saying anything.

Zoro sighed. "Spit it out," he said. When I looked up at him, wide-eyed, he said, "I can tell you want to say something, so say it. No need to hold back."

Still chewing my lip, I ducked my head again and mumbled, "But…I like these clothes."

"I'm not saying you're gonna have to throw them out," he said. "Just that you could use some better ones. Next island we stop at, we'll see about getting you some."

"Yeah!" Luffy cried, sitting up and smiling broadly. I yelped and scrambled back, scared of his sudden consciousness. "We'll get you some clothes, Tatsuo! And meat! Lots and lots of meat!"

"Wha…Wha…?" I stumbled as I fought to control my racing heart. "What is he?"

Zoro rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide the fact that he'd been just as shocked as I was. "Sometimes I wonder that myself…"

Luffy smashed a fist into his palm. "Right! But first, we gotta get to an island! Zoro, which way is land?"

"How the hell should I know?" Zoro scowled. "I'm not a navigator."

"Um…" I started, then bit my lip and ducked my head.

"What is it, Tatsuo?" Luffy asked.

I shot a glance at Zoro, who nodded for me to go on. "Land," I mumbled, and pointed off the right side of the boat. "'S been there since dawn."

"All right!" Luffy cried. "Let's go!" He stood up and started to angle the sail so we'd turn towards the land.

Zoro looked at me. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" he asked. I avoided his gaze and didn't answer. "You could've woken us up," he encouraged. "Land's important. Next time you see it, tell us, ok?" Still not looking at him, I nodded. I heard him sigh. "Come on, I'll teach you how to steer a bout. Consider it the first part of your training."

* * *

Two hours and a lot of pulling Luffy off the sail later, we managed to make port in the fair sized town of Rider. Luffy immediately tried to set off in search of meat, but Zoro stopped him.

"Hold on," he said, keeping Luffy from jumping off by holding onto the collar of his shirt. "Just how much money do you have to pay for the food?"

"Ummm…" Luffy dug through his pockets and pulled out two fistfuls of odds and ends. "Not much…"

Zoro shook his head. "I don't have much money, either," he said. He looked over the bit of cash Luffy was holding. "I'd say we've got about 700 beri total. Hardly enough to get some meat, much less some clothes for Tatsuo, even used ones."

"I can get us money," I blurted. They both looked at me. I fidgeted and looked away. I wasn't used to being looked at directly.

"You can?" Luffy asked. "How?"

I shifted again and said vaguely, "If you give me that 700 beri…I can make it into 70,000 by the end of today, if you don't mind spending an extra day here."

Luffy's eyes widened and his mouth turned into an O. "Wow!" he said, grinning. "That's…" He paused to do the math on his fingers. "…a hundred times what we have now! Are you magic or something, Tatsuo?"

"Something like that," I murmured. "So, do you want me to get us money?" I shot a look at Zoro.

He sighed. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?" he said. He took Luffy's beri and handed it along with his own to me. "Here. We'll meet back at the boat before dark."

"No!" I said quickly. Too quickly. Zoro shot me a look but didn't say anything. "You…you guys gotta promise to stay here. Or no money."

Zoro gave me another strange look but complied. "Alright," he said. He sat down and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "But you still have to be back before dark. Understood? I don't need my student getting ass backwards and lost so I have to go find him."

Nodding, I saw Luffy trying to sneak off the boat. "You've gotta stay too, ok, Luffy?" I said.

"Aw," he pouted. "But…I'm hungry, Tatsuo!"

"How do you expect to pay for your food when the squirt's got the money?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll tell them I'll pay them tomorrow!" Luffy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Just sit down and be patient," he said. "We've still got some apples left. Snack on those while we wait."

"Ok," Luffy sighed, jumping back into the boat. "Hurry back, ok, Tatsuo? My stomach feels like it's gonna eat my spine."

I agreed that I'd do my best to be back by lunchtime and set off into the town.

* * *

The thing about towns and cities is they've all got street rats—beggar kids, if you want to be polite. Street rats come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, but they've all got one thing in common: they know the town better than anybody. The time the baker's shop starts selling pasties on Fridays? The street rats know. What day of the week the miller's wife hangs the laundry? Any street rat could tell you. The back way into the tavern cellar where all the best food and wine is kept? The street rats know. What deals the local gang is making with the police or marines? Pay a pretty beri, and a street rat will tell you.

Being a breed of street rat myself and being well dressed for the part, it wasn't hard for me to navigate the streets before spotting one of my own kind. Two, in fact. A boy of about five was standing in front of a pastry shop, doing the old "Please, miss," routine. I ignored him and searched for his partner. I was quickly rewarded. Another boy of about ten stood in the alleyway just to the left, arms crossed, head down, but eyes watchful from underneath his dirty cap.

Another thing about street rats—when we beg, we usually have someone to back us up in cast things take a turn for the nasty.

I strolled past the pastry shop, pretending to not see the other rats. The little boy did his "Please, miss, could you spare some beri for a poor one like myself," to a passing lady with her daughter and paid me no mind, but I could feel the older boy's gaze on me.

Rule three of the street rats—when in plain sight, don't look at each other. When in the shadows, always be watching.

As I passed the older boy, I casually reached up and scratched my ear twice with two fingers—the signal of my hometown for a word in private. I was hoping the code would be similar if not the same here.

Still pretending not to see the others, I continued down the block and turned right, then turned right into the second alleyway and waited atop some crates somebody had stacked halfway down, far enough out of sight from the main street.

I waited nearly twenty minutes before the older boy came into view at the opposite end of the alley I'd entered. I stood up and he motioned for me to follow before climbing up the wall. I quickly found the ladder and followed him up to the rooftop, where he promptly took my hand and led me along the roof tops to a small hideout of sorts on top of an abandoned apartment building. A small hut had been built near the back of the building, away from easy sight of the main street. It had three plywood walls and a roof, and the fourth wall was nothing more than a tattered, dark purple cloth. The bot threw back the cloth and pulled me through.

The inside wasn't much. There was a very small fire pit in the very middle, and when I looked up, there was a hold in the roof to let the smoke out. No doubt they had a rock or some wood to cover it when it rained. Or maybe not.

It was a bit dark for the lack of sun, but I could make out a small bundle of rags that probably served as blankets in the winter and fall and extra clothes for when someone new joined. Over in another corner a small crate held various food items: pastries, apples, bread, and the like.

The boy immediately dropped my hand and went to the food crate. "It's not much, but it's home," he said, pulling a small loaf of bread out an testing it.

"'S long as there's clothes on your back and mates to protect it, eh?" I said, slipping back into my street rat lingo that felt so familiar. I started to feel a bit more comfortable. I sat down across from him. He grunted in agreement and took a bite of the bread, then passed it to me. I took a bite and chewed carefully. It was more or less street rat custom to offer somebody, in your group or not, your food after you took a bite. It more or less meant you were going to be treated as equally as any other person would, and it was rude to refuse. Even though I hadn't had food in a long time and I would most likely retch it up later, I wasn't going to offend the boy when he offered what he had. Besides, the bread wasn't all that bad. A little stale. Probably only a week old, or less. I swallowed.

"I have to say, I haven't seen you before," he said. "And I know every rat there is in Rider."

"Just passin' through," I said. "I'm a Pascal rat."

"Pascal, eh? Had a cousin there. Heard he got to talkin' too much about stuff and the local gang did him in." The boy leaned lazily against the crate and looked down. If it were anybody else watching him, they would've said he was relaxing, completely comfortable with the situation. But I could see the tenseness in his shoulders, the way his back was arched just so that if he needed to bolt for any reason, he'd be on his feet in an instant. His feet were both bottoms down so he'd have better leverage when getting up. I felt myself wilt a little inside. So my weird-colored eyes made me untrustworthy here, too.

"I wouldn't know," I said. "I'm more of a loner. Not too many want to get mixed in with me. It's my eyes what draw them off."

The boy shot me a look then darted his gaze away. "Got quite a pair of peepers there, I'll give you that." He cleared his throat and shifted a little. "So, what's a loner like you doin askin for help? What is it you be needin? Manpower? A place to stay for a little while?"

"Information," I said, pulling fifty beri out of my shirt and showing it to him.

His eyes flicked to the money and then to my shoulder. He still wouldn't look me in the eyes, or at least my face. "What kind of information?"

"I need to know where the richest people around here squat," I said, pushing the beri to him. "And a place where I can sell some things, no questions asked but at fair prices."

He frowned at the beri. "Gonna need a lot more than that for that kind of information," he said.

Wordlessly, I pulled out another three hundred and fifty beri and placed it with the other fifty. I watched his eyes go wide. Four hundred beri could get a couple loaves of bread and put a bite in more than a few mouths. Even with their stockpile, fresh food was always welcome.

He scooped up the money and counted it before stuffing it in his shirt. "You be needin anythin else?" he asked, still not looking directly at me.

I threw down another hundred beri, enough for a fairly good sized pastry for himself. "A dress," I said. "An old one, but other than that I ain't picky."

The boy jammed his thumb at the pile in the corner. "Should be a dress in there that we lifted a few weeks ago," he said. "It's probably dirty and ripped enough you can use it. We won't be needin it back, neither."

So even clothes I touched were taboo. All because of my eyes.

But I nodded and dug through the pile, pulling out a dirty, slightly smelly denim dress with a faded smiley sun on it. I quickly pulled off my T-shirt and pants and yanked the dress on over my head. I bundled my clothes together and said, "You got anywhere I can hide these? I'm gonna need them later on."

"The crates in the alley where I found you," he said quickly. "We'll put them there. Think you could find your way back?"

"Easily," I said. I passed my clothes to him and he took them gingerly, like I was going to attack him if he handled my clothes wrong. "Let's get going to the rich people's place."

* * *

It took almost no time at all for me and Troy—that was the boy's name—to be standing in front of a wrought iron gate that had been painted gold. Hell, when I peered into get a look at the house, the thing was made of the finest white marble with gold painted along the edges. Even the shingles of the roof were gold.

"They got no problem showing off, do they?" I muttered, looking for a feasible way in.

"They're the richest people here," Troy said, shrugging. "The baron's an ass who taxes the shit outta the people to make himself richer, the sod. His daughter, now, she's nice. Would give the shirt off her back to any who'd need it. We're all waiting with bated breath for her old man to kick the bucket already so she can take over."

"Those shingles," I said, pointing and watching a man dressed in black go over the hump of the roof on one side while another came over it on the opposite end of the house. "How much would that fetch on the gold market, d'you think?"

Troy snorted. "Good luck getting one," he said. "The baron's got patrols pacing up there every hour of every day, plus some weird alarm that goes off if just one of the shingles comes off."

I gave him a look that he avoided. "I take it you've tried before?"

He shifted a little and said, "It's a custom. You ain't a true street rat here until you've gone up and at least tried to touch one of the shingles. Mine just happened to be loose and shifted when I touched it. Nearly got caught."

"So there's a time between the guards so you can get up and touch the shingles," I said.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. Y'see the window in between where the guards go over the peak of the house? If you got on the roof when one guard was at that point and silently followed him on his route, you'd be able to hide behind where the window juts out from the rest of the house, grab a tile, and run for it." He gave me a sidelong look, making sure not to look at my face. "That is, if you're willing to jump off the roof as soon as you've got the tile."

I nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the information." I pulled out another fifty beri and held it out. "You won't be seein me after this. Make sure my clothes are where we agreed they'd be by sundown."

Troy tentatively took the money and agreed. "Good luck," he said, turning and walking away. "You're gonna need it."

* * *

**Max: So...what'd you guys think? It's starting all over at the (mostly) beginning, so right now the crew consists of Luffy, Zoro, and of course, Riko/Tatsuo. Nami will join soon though, I promise!**


	3. Bargains and Stealing

Getting into the yard was simple enough. When the guards weren't looking, I slipped in between the bars of the gate. Because I was so thin from not eating for so long, I barely had to suck my gut in to squeeze through. Now for the hard part—getting into the house.

I scampered across the giant lawn and dove into the bushes that surrounded the house. Wincing as the branches scratched my arms and legs, I wormed my way over to a window and peeked through.

The room was empty. There were a few cabinets that held some expensive-looking things in them and two couches facing each other with a small table on a dark-colored rug between them. It looked like some sort of living room.

I checked the window. It was shut, but not locked. I carefully wormed my fingers under the window and inched it open wide enough for me to slip through. As quietly as I could, I slid into the room, marveling at the hardwood floor under my feet. I rarely ever entered a place as grand as this, and I always paused a moment to drink in what was around me.

I shook myself. _Stop it_, I thought. _You never had anything like this, and you never will. If it doesn't do anything to help you survive, it's worthless to you._ Though I always had a nagging feeling that wouldn't go away for a while that I had been born for something—_into_ something—more.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out again, I softly padded over to one of the glass cabinets. I tested the door. Unlocked. This baron must've had a lot of faith in his guards and staff. Or maybe he was just stupid.

I opened the door, relieved when it didn't squeak. A squeaky door could bring the staff, or worse, the baron himself, down on me. Careful not to break anything, I gingerly grabbed a few of the knick-knacks off the shelf and placed them in the pocket on the front of the dress. Most of the good ones, looking like they were made of gold, silver, or very fine glass, were in front, where they'd be noticed. I made sure only to grab two or three of these; hopefully I'd be long gone by the time the baron realized they were missing. I grabbed another four or five from the back, which would be harder to notice at a glance. These looked like they were made of either porcelain or simpler glass, but either way they'd get me quite a few beri.

I carried my treasures back to the window and carefully hid them in the bushes before turning and looking for more. I grabbed another dozen or so from another cabinet, repeating to process. I noticed a smaller cabinet at the other end of the room, closer to the door, and crossed the room to it. I gently pushed back the cloth that hung over the glass so I could see what it held.

I gasped at what I saw. Inside the case was the most beautiful sword I'd ever seen. The sheath was a dark blue with a thin, swirling silver design at the bottom and top. The hilt was wrapped in a blue cloth that was a shade or two lighter than the sheath. I felt my fingers twitch, aching to hold the sword.

I checked the case. Locked.

_Damn_, I though. I wanted—no, _needed_—that sword. But the only way I was gonna get it was if I broke the glass. That would no doubt set off an alarm, but I didn't care. I had to have that sword. Zoro had promised me he was going to teach me how to use a sword, didn't he? How was I going to practice without a good sword?

I balled my right hand into a fist and cocked back, calculating where the glass was weakest.

_There_. The top right corner, where the glass met wood. It was thinner there. If I could crack it, I'd be able to finish the job with another punch or a well-placed kick.

Just as I was about to throw my punch, I hesitated. If I was right and the glass breaking would set off an alarm, how would I get on the roof to get one of the tiles? The entire staff, plus the guards on the roof, would be alerted to my presence and I'd have to leave fast. That meant almost no time to grab the little trinkets I'd stashed in the bushes, and those alone probably wouldn't be enough money for Zoro and Luffy. Luffy had said he wanted meat, and meat was expensive. Booze, too. And if Zoro meant what he said when he promised to get me some new clothes, that could add another thousand beri alone. Clothes weren't cheap, either. It could easily cost 500 beri for a decent shirt for a child my size.

I put my fist down. I had to think. There was an alarm set for the tiles, I knew, because of Troy. But that was only triggered if the weight of the tile went missing. What about for when the guards walked across the tiles? If it was some sort of weight sensor, then why didn't it go off when the guards walked on the roof?

I frowned, thinking. Maybe it only went off when the weight was removed. Or maybe there was a set path of tiles for the guards to walk on where there were no sensors. I hoped it was the first one, because I had an idea.

I hurried back to the window and scrambled out, dropping on all fours behind the bushes. I scanned the ground, looking for a big rock. I spotted one and crawled to it, picking it up with both hands to weigh it. I nodded to myself. It'd be heavy enough for the sensor, I was sure.

I went back to the window and pushed the rock in before me. I snatched it back up once I was back inside and quickly crossed the room to the door. Quietly, I opened the door just a crack and peeked out into the hall. Nobody was there. I spotted some stairs at the left end of the hall and ran to them, making sure to shut the door behind me.

When I reached the stairs, I slowed down. I didn't know this house, so I was going to have to go slow so the stairs wouldn't creak and so I could keep my eye out for people. I had come this far and couldn't afford to turn back now, not with that sword patiently waiting for me.

The trip up the stairs was slow, long, and tense. I had to be careful not to make the stairs creak, and more than one time I'd gotten dizzy and almost lost my balance, to which the rock wasn't helping. Thankfully, nobody travelled up or down the stairs. I figured the baron didn't have much of a staff. All the better for me.

Just as I reached the top of the stairs, my stomach clenched in a sickening way and the blood seemed to rush from my head, making me feel dizzy again.

_Damn it_, I thought. _Not again…_ Forgetting I held the rock, my hands shot out to grab the banister so I wouldn't fall. My fingers just fell short and I landed on my side, falling down a few stairs before I managed to latch onto another rail and stop myself. The rock clattered down after me, stopping about three steps below me.

I moaned and used my free hand to clutch my stomach as it twisted into a hard knot, trying to deal with the food I'd eaten. The bread was plain, but since I hadn't eaten very much in the past month or so, suddenly having food in my stomach was causing problems.

I swallowed back the bile that had gathered. I couldn't afford to lose any food. I was hardly more than skin and bones as it was. I didn't know when my next meal would be, either. I needed every bit of bread that was tearing my stomach apart, and I fought to keep it down.

"Father? Is that you?" a voice called from the top of the stairs. I froze, forgetting about my raging stomach. This wasn't good. "Did you fall down the stairs again, Father? Would you like me to call one of the servants to help you?"

I hurried to get up and gather up the rock and hide someplace, but my stomach recoiled as I moved. I couldn't help but let out a grunt of pain and discomfort.

"Father, why won't you answer me?" the voice asked, sounding worried. The footsteps stopped. "Father, what—"

I looked up sharply as the voice stopped short. At the top of the stairs stood a woman. She had long, bright blond hair and mud brown eyes. The dress she was wearing as long and blue like the sky, but simple.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she wailed, and hurried down the stairs to crouch next to me. I flinched away from her touch and regretted it. Another dizzy spell hit me and I put my head in my hands and moaned. I grimaced at my weakness. "Are you hurt?" the lady questioned, her hands fluttering around me.

Weakly, I shook my head. "'M fine," I grunted, and stood up. I picked to rock back up and started to go back up the stairs. This time, I made it up with no dizzy spells, but the lady grabbed my arm, making me flinch and stop.

"You're obviously _not_," she said, giving me a hard stare. I stared back. "You're skin and bones! Look at you! Look at that dress!"

"I'm used to it," I said, shrugging and not looking away. What was her intention? Who did she think I was?

She looked about ready to explode at my words. "Don't you _see_?" she demanded. "You _shouldn't_ be used to it! Honestly, I knew Father didn't pay the servants enough, but this is ridiculous!"

I blinked. Was that it? Did she think I was a servant, or one of the servants' kids?

Obviously so. "Who's your parent, little girl?" she asked, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Who's your parent who works for my father?"

"I—I—" I stumbled, unsure what to say. "I can't tell you!"

That only made her even more determined. "Come with me," she said, snatching up my hand and storming down the hall. ""I'm sure Father will recognize you. Or he can call the servants and ask whose child you are."

"No!" I cried. I jerked my hand from her grip. I couldn't let the baron and staff see me. It was already bad enough this lady had. If the baron and staff saw me, they'd know for sure I wasn't supposed to be here. "Please, don't! You—you might get him fired!"

That made her stop. "Fired?" she said softly, like the idea hadn't occurred to her.

I nodded frantically, trying to keep up the act. My mind raced to come up with something. "I—I'll be in enough trouble as it is with you seeing me, miss."

The lady paused. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't realize my actions could get you and your family into so much trouble. I'm just trying to help." She looked back at me. "Can you forgive me?"

I looked away and shifted uncomfortably. "Just…please don't mention this to the master. If he found out…" I faked a gulp.

"Yes, yes, of course, I understand," the lady hurriedly assured. "Not a word of this to my father, I swear! Go and deliver your…err, rock, my dear. Tell me, what is your name?"

I hesitated. "Riko," I said.

"Riko," the lady said, clasping my hands in hers and looking me straight in the eyes. "Promise me you'll come and visit me once in a while? And you'll bring your brothers and sisters too? I get terribly lonely and would love it if you came to visit."

I bit my lip. "I'm an only child," I mumbled. "And…no promises, but I guess I can try."

The lady's face brightened. "Oh, of course, of course! As long as you try, that's all I care! Now, shoo, shoo! Hurry to your father!" She ushered me down the hall. "And I won't forget!" She winked and pretended to button her lips. "Not a word to Father!" She disappeared into a room, leaving me alone in the hall.

I sighed in relief. I thought I'd never get rid of her. It had been a very close call.

Speaking of which, I didn't want to get caught again, so I hurried down the hall until I came across the window that jutted out from the roof of the house. I set my rock down and looked out, waiting for the first guard to pass by the window.

I was rewarded quickly. The first guard went by and I started counting silently. _One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three…_ When I reached one thousand thirty, the second guard passed by, and I started over. _One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three…_ The first guard passed by again at one thousand thirty again. I restarted my count again. At one thousand ten, I opened the window, scrambled out with the rock, and closed it, still counting. At one thousand fifteen, I started walking in the same direction the guards had been going, hurrying to catch up with the first guard. I followed him around the back and to the front again, only about three steps behind him. Miraculously, he didn't notice my soft footsteps behind him.

When we reached the other side of the window, I sunk close to the roof and scooted over. Making sure the other guard couldn't see me, I worked fast. I set the rock on top of a loose-looking tile and, with one hard tug, yanked it out from under the rock. The rock took the tile's place with a dull _thunk_.

I didn't wait for an alarm. I scurried over the top of the roof, following the first guard before the second could see me. He was just about to turn past the other window when I got below the crest of the roof, I caught up to him and followed him to the window I'd exited from. Counting steadily again, I opened the window, slipped in with the tile, and shut it again with five seconds to spare.

I sunk to the floor, relieved. The alarm hadn't gone off. My idea had worked. No guarantee how long it would take for the guards to notice the rock, but it was somewhat hiding in a shadow, so hopefully I'd bought plenty of time.

I let out a tense breath I hadn't even known I had been holding and stood up. I took off back down the hall, running as quietly as I could. I had the tile—now I could get the sword!

I skidded to a halt in front of the lady's room. An idea had hit me—I needed something to carry all the little trinkets in. I set the tile down off to the side and knocked. "Come in," the lady said.

I opened the door and peeked in. "Um, miss?" I said hesitantly.

"Oh, Riko!" she said, looking up from her book on her bed. "You're back to play already?"

"No," I said, and her face fell. "But I was wondering—do you have a sack or something I can carry stuff in? Mum needs to do the wash and needs something to carry the clean clothes in."

"I don't have a sack, but here," she said, yanking the cover off one of her pillows. "She can use this. I won't need it back."

I snatched the cover before she could change her mind. "Thanks!" I dashed out of the room, grabbed the tile, and ran down the stairs.

Either by sheer dumb luck or the baron's own stupidity in having a small staff, I made it back to the room without incident. I shut the door behind me and set to work. I shoved the tile in the bag (easier not to get stopped if no one could see it) and climbed through the still-open window. I threw all the other trinkets in after the tile, being careful not to break any of them. I tied a knot at the top of the sack and left it in the bushes where I could easily grab it when I made my escape.

I went back into the house and ran to the case holding the sword. It was still there, waiting for me.

The moment of truth. I drew back my fist, took a deep breath for courage, and punched the glass where it was weakest. It spider webbed out from where I'd hit.

I braced my hands on the hardwood floor and with two swift, hard kicks, the glass shattered. A second later, an alarm went off.

I didn't hesitate. I snatched the sword and ran for the window. I could already hear feet pounding around outside the door. No time to stop.

I dove through the window, grabbed the bag, and ran for the gate. I could hear the guards on the roof shouting and the front door slam open. I forced myself to run faster, my feet slapping the ground hard. When I reached the gate, I shoved the sword through, followed it, and then maneuvered the bag through after me. I picked the sword back up and took off down the street, losing myself in the crowd so no one could follow me while remembering Troy's instructions on how to get to the pawn shop.

* * *

I made it to the pawn shop in record time. No one had followed me after the first few blocks, but I hadn't slowed down. I didn't want to risk being caught. I cut through alleyways when I could and still managed to not get lost. After a quick glance at the sun, I figured I had plenty of time to haggle with the people inside before I had to get back to Zoro and Luffy.

I swung the sword over my shoulder and entered the shop. A little bell chimed when I opened the door.

A slender man looked up from behind the counter. "Hello there," he said. "What can I do for you?" His voice was nice, soft, but I could hear the haggler behind it.

"I got some stuff to sell," I said, walking up to the counter and setting my bag down gently. A few of the trinkets clinked and I saw the guy spare a glance to it before looking at me again. "I hear you don't ask questions and give pretty fair prices."

"Depends on what you're selling," the man said. "I'm Joshua. What's your name?"

"Do you need to know?" I asked suspiciously.

Joshua smiled. "I like to know the names of my clients. It helps break the ice, so to speak."

I looked him over warily for a minute before deciding. "Riko. My name's Riko."

"You're a little young to be selling things, aren't you, Riko?" Joshua asked.

"I thought you said you didn't ask questions," I grumbled.

"Concerning the items, no, not usually," he replied, "but I like to know a little about my clients."

"I'm seven," I said, "and that's all I'm going to tell you about myself. Can we get on with the stuff?"

Joshua nodded. "Alright, if that'll make you feel more comfortable," he said. He pulled out a weird eyepiece and placed it on his face. He set a black cloth on the counter and gestured. "Go ahead. Show me what you got."

I opened the bag and began pulling out trinket after trinket. As I set each one on the black cloth, Joshua carefully picked it up and squinted at it through his eyepiece, setting it down after a quick inspection. Some he'd set to the left, others to the right, and the rest in the middle.

"Well, Riko," he said once he'd finished looking at the trinkets. "I've got some news. These ones—" he pointed to the left pile "—are of medium quality and aren't worth two much. For all of these, I can give you about ten thousand beri." He pushed them farther to the side. "For these ones over here—" he pointed to the right side "—these are very high quality. Overall, the entirety is worth about thirty thousand beri." He pushed them to the side. "And these, here in the middle, aren't worth much at all. I could give you maybe five thousand beri, but that'd be stretching it. So, about forty-five thousand beri total."

"I've got one more item," I said.

Joshua cocked an eyebrow. "That sword on your back? At first glance I'd say it's worth about thirty thousand beri, but if I could look at it closer—"

"Not the sword," I said quickly. "That's not for sale. Period."

He stared at me for a long moment. "Then what is?"

Wordlessly, I pulled the gold tile out from the bag and held it up.

Joshua immediately blanched, bug-eyed, before quickly recovering. I saw him change into his "haggler" persona. "And what is that?" he asked in a neutral voice.

Please. He knew exactly what it was, the cheapskate. I decided to tell him anyways. If he was going to play the unimpressed pawn shop owner, I was going to play the witless seller who "thought" she could trick him. "It's one of the tiles from the baron's house."

Joshua raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity, but I could see the eagerness in his eyes. And the way his hand twitched—a sure sign he wanted this tile, _badly_. "Is that so," he said. He held out the hand that wasn't twitching, tucking the one that was under his counter. "May I see it?"

I handed it to him and he looked it over for a minute, turning it this way and that and looking at it very closely. I could tell it was all a show. He knew damn well he held the real thing. But then he chuckled and set it on the counter. "Well, Riko, it looks like you've been had. This is no more than a flat rock painted to look like a shingle from the baron's house. Now, if I were you, I'd hurry and find the sleazy guy who sold this to you, so you can—"

"Bullshit," I interrupted. Joshua stopped midsentence and gaped at me. I could see the hints of fear in his eyes. "You know as well as I do that it's real, and just how much it's worth. Now either give me a serious offer or I'll take my business elsewhere."

We locked eyes for a long time. My vision never wavered, while his kept twitching, like he was trying to read me through my eyes. Good luck with that.

Finally, he relented. "Alright," he sighed. "How does forty thousand sound?"

"Fifty thousand," I said. "You'll still double your money, and I'll get what I want."

He bit his lip. "Forty-two."

"Fifty."

A small pause. "Forty-three."

"Fifty."

A much longer pause. "Forty-four."

"Fifty."

He paused for a while this time. I decided to play on his nerves a bit. "Fine. Since you don't want my stuff, I'll just take it somewhere else." I reached for the tile.

"Wait! Wait! I'll go fifty!" He dived for the tile.

"You'll go fifty?" I asked, not removing my hand.

"Yes!"

"_And_ the other forty-five you already offered for the trinkets?"

"Yes!"

I stared. I could tell he wasn't lying; I just marveled at how a seven-year-old street rat like me could render a grown man like him to being this desperate.

I removed my hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you," I said. Inwardly, I winced. I still remembered the boy who'd taught me that phrase. _Tatsuo-nii..._

"Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-five! There! Ninety-five thousand beri, as promised!" Joshua said, pushing the mountain of cash to me.

I took the cash and counted it carefully while Joshua hurriedly collected the stuff I'd sold to him. It was all there, like he said.

I glance up, remembering him saying that five thousand would be a stretch for the cheaper trinkets. I frowned, biting my lip. Tatsuo had said to always try to be fair when dealing with our kind and pawn shop owners, because they were kinda like grown up versions of street rats…

I set five thousand on the counted and hurried from the store while Joshua's back was turned. Ninety thousand was still more than I'd promised Zoro and Luffy. I didn't think (actually, I hoped) that they'd care about the other five thousand beri.


End file.
